A small tavern called KCD’s, with its glass block façade, is no more than a five-minute walk from either end of the vacant main strip. Inside the dimly lit bar, the knotty pine paneled walls are adorned with Vikings apparel, most likely because the Minnesota border is almost in spitting distance. In a timeworn town, it was no surprise that the clientele of KCD’s were in their later years. The three women sitting at the end of the bar looked as if they belonged at Sunday church; yet, they were ordering cherry bombs and drinking Bud Lites. The bartender, Vickie Ator, 61, was referenced as “mom,” as if the ladies had known one another their entire lives.

The three engaged in casual conversation, jokingly bad mouthing each other with years of friendship behind the stories. Elsbeth Richter, 93, sipped on a Bud.

“My vote don’t count anymore,” said Richter, who stayed home on election day. Ator, listening, interjects: “If you didn’t vote, you can’t b-tch!” She voted for Donald Trump after 40 years of choosing Democrats.

At the other end of the bar, Brian Jessen, 41, sips on a rum and coke as he watches the Vikings/Cardinals game. In a town where Trump was the victor, Jessen not only voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary but also wrote his name in the general election.

“Bernie had held to his principles during his many years of service,” said Jessen. “I voted for Bernie for that reason and in the process accidentally helped Trump.”

In this bar, anti-establishment fever reigns. Whether it’s a write-in for Bernie or a flip for Trump – or in the case of the elderly women at the end of the bar, no vote at all – people in this town and place don’t trust government, don’t trust politicians, don’t like the media and just plain out hate Clinton.

“She’s a liar, they caught her lies, everybody lies. She’s just evil,” said Ator.

As a result of the dire economic conditions of this area, where years ago there was a movie theater and John Deere plant but today there’s little more than Vicki’s bar, people were longing for change. Lime Springs is not alone; it’s a few counties over from the Mississippi River Valley, and it’s located in a county that flipped for Donald Trump by the largest percentage in the country (42%), according to CNBC’s map of counties that flipped. This county is part of a region around the river that stands out because of the number of clustered counties that switched allegiances to the billionaire from New York, funneling their economic hopes into his outside, anti-establishment character. Even people like Jessen who voted for Bernie are part of the final story of what cost Hillary Clinton the White House; she could not overcome the dual phenomenon of Trump flippers and lack of enthusiasm from people who went third party, wrote someone in or sat out, but slightly preferred Clinton over Trump.

“People are getting tired of working; you know, what used to be a 40-hour week and now it takes 60-80 hours a week,” said Lime Springs Mayor Kevin Bill, who works on an 800-acre farm and used to own a bar/restaurant. As with many people in these towns, he holds positions in civic life (he’s also on the airport commission), which seems incongruent with the hatred for government.

“There is a lot people who are just too lazy to go get a job, it’s easier to sit at home and collect a paycheck.”

The Switcher

Over her five decades, Ator, who was born and raised in Lime Springs, has watched its steady decline. Ator has owned KCD’s tavern for nine years. She is the daughter of a farmer who was also a gas station owner. She said the town has changed drastically from the days she spent working with her father.

“This used to be a booming​ ​town​ ​to​ ​grow​ ​up​ ​in. You couldn’t find a place to park in Lime Springs because it was so busy and wild,” said Ator.

Almost 45 years ago, there was a John Deere equipment store that brought jobs to the now decaying town. Ator was reminiscing about an era when jobs were abundant, a time when even a small town of 500 such as Lime Springs had a movie theater. Back in the day, Ator was not only a farmer, but also a welder. While she did attend a university, she dropped out after two years.

“Nobody liked Hillary so they went to Trump,” said Ator.

Ator did not decide between the two parties, but between the two candidates. In the primaries, she voted for Bernie Sanders, leaving her vote to sway towards Trump when Clinton was chosen to represent for the Democrats. She deviated from her dad and nephew and voted for Trump.

“She’s a liar. It was just her,” said Ator.

Something that stood out in this election, much like this town, was that she was not looking for a politician. She emphasized that was something everyone wanted; change. There are not a lot of jobs in town and the entrepreneur, Donald Trump, promised security and growth to small towns like Lime Springs. It wasn’t that Ator didn’t want a female president, she isn’t bothered by a female president, but she is not going to vote for Hillary “just because she is a female. “

“Just like how can I be called a racist for voting for Trump when I voted for Obama?” said Ator.

Ator says that she is hopeful that Trump changes everything.

Lime Springs was named after a spring that continues to produce fresh water today. Historically, most of the jobs in town are related to agriculture. The historical site of the Lidtke Mill is known for its buckwheat flour that used to provide 100 barrels of flour a day. Besides being known for agriculture, Welsh heritage is deeply seeded in the community in an otherwise Norwegian and German dominated region.

“There has not been any significant growth in Howard County at all,” said Mayor Bill.

Howard County’s population estimates 9,410 in 2015. The unemployment rate has declined since Obama’s two terms in office, yet Howard County has one of the lowest weekly wages in the entire state, averaging about $642 a week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The Labor force is increasing as the wages are continuing to stay low.

“There’s work out there, it might not be a career, but there’s work out there,” said Mayor Bill.

The Bernie Write-In

Jessen, a husband and a father of two young daughters, moved to Lime Springs in hopes of raising his family in a small town. Fourteen days a month, Jessen is responsible for running the majority of data transferred through Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa, including government, hospital, and cell phone communications. With a 75-hour work week, he is usually on call. When cities shut down in the middle of the night, it is Jessen’s duty to restore service. With long and odd hours, Jessen likes to find a place like KCD’s to decompress and let his personal thoughts run their distance.

Jessen was so passionate about Bernie Sanders that he became a delegate in the primary. He said it was the first time he was involved with a party.

“While many called him crazy, few recognized him as false,” said Jessen. “I really dislike that I had to be part of the problem, but I couldn’t vote for someone I didn’t trust.”

Jessen said his neighbors and quite a few of his friends voted for Trump. In order to avoid conflict, Jessen said that he feels he has to pretend he is a Trump supporter. He said that he is in the middle of moving to a new job where his soon-to-be co-workers are Trump supporters.

“I’m playing the freakin’ game with them to make sure that they are going to sign off on me being hired,” said Jessen. “I’m not going to pick a fight with people that have the ability to make or break my future going forward.”

While some parents keep their children out of the election, Jessen says he wanted his daughter to be informed and know exactly what was going on in the world. Jessen said that the outcome of the election was hardest for his daughter, Piper, whose best friend is from Mexico.

“My daughter woke up after the election and immediately started sobbing,” said Jessen. “Her whole world is her best friend.”

For Jessen, the outcome of the election was equally upsetting. He said that he thought Trump drained the swamp, but he filled it with crocodiles.

“To support somebody who so blatantly has disregard for so many things that I consider key to being a human being,” said Jessen. “I struggle with that.”

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“At least he’s not a criminal,” Stockman said.

Stockman lives on Willard Street in Lime Springs, Iowa. It was quiet that Sunday evening. Many people were in their houses, hiding away from the chilling weather. The small dog next door to

Stockman was chained outside barking happily at passersby.

Lime Springs is in Howard County, Iowa. In the 2016 elections this county flipped to Republican by 42 points, according to cbnc.com. That’s the most in the country.

Stockman did vote for President Obama. She also liked Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders.

In reaction to accusations that Trump supporters are all racist bigots, she said that it is false and that people who think that are the bigots.

Trump’s comments about women did not bother her.

“I’ve worked with men, and they’re all like that,” said Stockman. She works for Dr. Pepper.

Stockman thought Trump’s phrase, “Make America Great Again” was dumb. Her 16-year-old daughter wore a hat with the phrase and Stockman told her to take it off. She didn’t want her daughter to get harassed.

She also didn’t care about the protests after Trump had won.

“A lot of people in their 20s don’t know how to take rejection,” said Stockman.

There were no specific policies Trump and Clinton talked about that Stockman thought were important.

“I didn’t give a sh-t, I went to go to bed,” said Stockman about election night. She said at the end of the elections it was like a T.V show.

Stockman brought up her neighbor whom she believed would be willing to talk about the elections. She checked her phone and texted while talking more about the elections.

Todd Mensink, 40, came out of his home in a hoodie and plaid pajama pants. He shivered a bit as he held a cigarette between his fingers.

Mensink is a sociology and criminology professor at the University of Iowa. He voted for Jill Stein this year and in 2012. Mensink did vote for Obama in 2008.

“I am an anomaly,” said Mensink when describing himself.

Mensink said he was sick of neoliberalism. He did not like the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils.

“Do you keep voting for the lesser of two evils or take a stand?” said Mensink.

Mensink was angry and sad when Trump won.

Mensink said he is afraid of immigrants getting deported. When people say that they want to deport people with a criminal record, Mensink questioned what constitutes a criminal.

One idea of Trump that Mensink did like is a two-term limit for Senators.

Mensink gets his information from NBC and CNN. He listens to MPR and Rush Limbaugh. He said a lot of what the news says isn’t true. Mensink thought Facebook played a major role in misinformation.

“I gotta know what they’re saying,” said Mensink.

He remembered seeing his colleagues crying, worried about being deported. Some colleagues accused of him being a misogynist for the way he voted.

Mensink thought Clinton should have faced the emails accusation and that race was a big issue in the election. He talked about the Black Lives Matter and said that he thinks that many people don’t get the movement.

He said a lot of people are misinformed because people aren’t aware of the world outside of their communities. Being introduced to a more diverse area affects how they would view the country. People are actually afraid of change, according to Mensink.

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As students ventured across Western Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, speaking to local voters on why their counties flipped from blue to red by the largest margins in the country, a common theme began to emerge – the non-voters.

According to projections from the United States Elections Project, 231,556,622 Americans were eligible to vote in the 2016 election, but only 135,657,507 did. With 41.6 percent of people not voting, America has witnessed the lowest voter turnout in nearly 20 years.

In the Red Apple Cafe, a small diner located in the quiet village of Gays Mills, Wisconsin, a mother and daughter disclosed their reasons for not voting in this past election.

Carolyn, a 50-year-old waitress at the diner, accompanied by her mother – and loyal customer – Elinor, 73, explained that she wasn’t excited by either candidate and admits that she has never voted a day in her life. (They refused to give their last names).

For Carolyn, her non-voting habits can be credited to both a busy schedule, and a distrust in federal government.

“Every time you try to better yourself, the government takes it away,” said Carolyn. “Why even bother.”

Despite making $9 an hour – only a $2 increase in the past 30 years, Carolyn admits that raising the minimum wage would help, but doesn’t believe that either candidate would have made it happen.

“I feel like they all lie anyway,” said Carolyn. “If all the presidents did what they said they would do, we wouldn’t be billions of dollars in debt.”

While Carolyn’s mother, Elinor, didn’t make it to the polls either, she had a slightly different afterthought. Although remaining both quiet and hesitant throughout the interview, Elinor admits that she regrets not voting.

Elinor said that if she had voted, she would have went with Hillary Clinton and that she never expected a Trump victory. Elinor also conceded to prior support for President Obama because he was family oriented, but says that she didn’t vote in the 2012 election either.

As students traveled state-to-state, the theme of non-voters continued. In Harmony, Minnesota a local store owner, Peggy, 62, shared that she didn’t vote in this past election and admits that she hasn’t voted in any election since she was 18-years-old.

Peggy credits her non-voting habits to a lack of political insight.

“I can’t say that I wanted Trump,” said Peggy. “I just don’t know that much about politics.”

Even though she didn’t vote, Peggy alludes to Democratic tendencies.

“When this all started out, I thought Bernie was the best,” said Peggy. “As much as I would’ve liked to see a woman president, I was disappointed in my choice.”

While many claimed Trump’s rhetoric and Clinton’s email scandal as reasons for not voting, Peggy admits that she was never bothered by the President-Elect’s comments.

“It didn’t make one bit of difference to me,” said Peggy. “What I want to know is why it all came out a week before Election Day.”

Peggy believes that media played the biggest role in Trump’s victory.

“There is no question that the media is one-sided,” said Peggy. “And it worked for Donald Trump.”

Making their way through the last state and county of the Mississippi River Valley road trip, students made a final stop in Lime Spring, Iowa.

Here they spoke with former dairy farmer and current shop owner, Curtis Tienter, 66. Tienter classifies himself as an independent voter and says that he voted for Obama in the last election, but this time around, he couldn’t tolerate either candidate.

“I just couldn’t stand either them,” said Tienter. “So I guess I won’t be able complain for the next four years.”

Pointing to a photo located on a cluttered bulletin board near the register of his shop, Tienter offered some insight on his opinion of Donald Trump. The photo is of a worn-down outhouse on top of the hill; it’s labeled Trump Tower. Tienter says that the photo was taken only 20 miles south from Lime Springs.

Tienter believes that reasoning behind the county’s flip can be credited to Trump’s promise of change.

“People around here – they just didn’t trust Hillary and Trump wanted change – that’s it.” said Tienter. “Most people couldn’t trust her because of her emails and they were sick of everything staying the same.”

Tienter says that he was never fully on board with other presidential candidates either.

“Bernie was interesting,” said Tienter. “He looked like a better candidate as the election went along, but I never really knew where he stood on a lot of things.”

Tienter says that he never attended political rallies that were in the area.

“I’m here seven days a week, said Tienter. “I’m on a set income so the longer my door are open the better off I am.”

With his lack of interest in both candidates, Tienter admits that he quickly grew irritable when it came to political talk.

“I got so sick of people talking politics,” said Tienter. “You come in my store, you don’t talk politics and that’s that.”

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